HB 4777 Summary

• Landlords must not enter rental agreements knowing a unit is infested and must maintain rental premises free from bedbugs, with inspections by pest management professionals or accredited canine teams required within 7 days of suspected infestation notice.

• Landlords must begin control measures within 7 days of confirmed infestation and schedule inspections of adjoining units; tenants must notify landlords within 2 days of discovering suspected infestation and grant reasonable access for treatment.

• Tenants are responsible for maintaining bedbug-free units if initially uninfested, must inspect upon move-in, cannot bring infested items into units, and cannot treat units themselves; violation constitutes a serious and continuing health hazard.

• Costs of control and treatment are tenant responsibility if the tenant or tenant's guest caused the infestation; landlord is not liable for infestation damages except in cases of negligence; landlord and tenant may agree in writing on responsibility allocation.

• Counties and municipalities are prohibited from adopting ordinances that extend, revise, or conflict with the bill's provisions, except they may enforce proper disposal requirements for bedbug-infested items; the act takes effect 90 days after enactment.